Revolution move to top of the East with thrilling win in DC

In professional team sports the most important thing is winning. However what happened Saturday night in Washington DC was stuff out of a fairy tail. The New England Revolution started 3 players aged 18 or younger. Homegrown players Noel Buck, Esmir Bajraktarevic and Jack Panayotou were named in Bruce Arena's starting 11. With Carles Gil not fully fit, Dylan Borrero with Colombia on international duty and a handful of injuries Arena thought it was time to make the move. That decision to start 3 young homegrown players was absolutely spot on. New England dominated the first 25 minutes of the game with fantastic inter play through the middle and out wide creating multiple chances and pinning DC United in their own half. This forced Assistant Coach Pete Shuttleworth who was filling in for Wayne Rooney who was out with an illness to make a tactical switch. Shuttleworth started to deploy the long aerial ball to DC striker Christian Benteke bypassing the midfield. This tactical switch helped DC get a foothold in the game. DC drew first blood when in the 45th minute right before half time Christian Benteke played a ball out wide on the right to right back Ruan, Ruan took a touch and fired a ball across to the back post where Benteke had made a run and was able to finish giving DC a 1-0 lead setting off in stadium fireworks and Audi Field into a frenzy. With DC leading 1-0 New England was unable to create much of anything to start for the first quarter of an hour. This is when Bruce Arena spring into action once again. A match day question mark Carles Gil saw his number get called in the 60th minute as well as Jozy Altidore who heard his name called for the first time in 2023. The move to put Gil in paid immediate dividends. On Gil's second touch of the game he put in a looping in swinging ball to Gustavo Bou who chested the ball around DC defender Chris Durkin and slotted home a low shot to the far post around DC keeper Tyler Miller equalizing the game at 1 a piece. It was Shuttleworth turn to make a personel switch. In the 68th Taxi Fountas who was also a match day question mark entered the fray. DC became instantly more dangerous and the addition of Fountas nearly earned DC a second goal. Fountas slalomed his way through the Revs defense and put a low near post shot on Djordje Petrovic who was up to the task denying Fountas. As the game was winding down the moment for either team was seized by New England and.....17 year old Noel Buck. Off of a Carles Gil corner the ball found its way to Buck at the top of the 18 he ripped a low shot that took a ruthless deflection off of DC defender Derrick Williams finding its way to the back of the net in the 88th minute. This proved to be the game winner to take New England to the top of the Eastern Conference. New England travels back home to host NYCFC next Saturday night at Gillette Stadium. Thoughts......Does Bruce Arena continue to play the kids when veteran players come back from injury and international duty? Panayotou, Esmir and Buck all deserve to see more time on the field. However Arena has always favored vets over the kids and I for one am very interested to see how this plays out. Bruce Arena has been pushing the right buttons in 2023 and the players have responded. It's time for MLS Pundits and media to start giving New England more respect as many have New England rather low in their power rankings system.